Claimed: Unchartered Territory (4 page)

“Okay, so they’re a little private. Still could be friendly.” She repeated the thought several times until she felt the solid thud of her ship touching down. Everything went still. She’d landed or docked. In any case she knew the time for speculation over the alien’s intent was drawing to an end.

“But just in case…” she unbuckled, while reaching for a metal collapsible rod which could be used as an effective weapon if necessary.

There was the muffled clang of something scraping against the hull of the ship. Time ticked by slowly before a new sound interrupted the brief silence. It was steel giving way as if being pealed apart. So much for IAC craftsmanship. Obviously the aliens possessed technology which surpassed anything the engineers had thought existed.

There was no pushing back the anxiety this time. No amount of pep talking could take away the fear of the unknown. She glanced at the bank of lockers and a thought formed.

“I can’t.”

Why not? Hide and see what you can from the slats or stand and face whatever is so determined to get in here. Your choice
, her inner voice rationalized.

Put like that Dallas hurried to one of the lockers, crammed herself inside and pulled the door closed in front of her. She took small solace in the metal weapon clasped in her gloved hand.

Please be friendly
, she mouthed.

Chapter Four

Twenty centurions stood poised outside the foreign vessel in anticipation of a battle. Only one life form registered on their sensors but it still didn’t give the warriors any indication of what they might be up against.

“Immobilize if possible, but if it is a choice between you and the creature we take no prisoners,” the order came from Remar.

Each centurion grunted their understanding.

The entrance was too narrow to allow more than one of the broadly built centurions through at a time so Remar took the lead. He’d called for his special guard to assist in the confrontation. Each warrior was part of a team hand selected by him.

He motioned for his men to scatter in groups of two down the narrow corridors. They made quick work of the search through the interconnecting walkways which culminated in them congregating in what appeared to be the command room. The interior only allowed for four males to move about its interior which left the others to linger in the narrow hall.

“It appears to be empty, High Commander,” a centurion reported after their search of the vessel resulted in nothing.

Remar used his com-unit to reach the Watch Tower, “Your scanners registered at least one life form?”

“Aye sir,” the Watch Leader replied. “And sensors indicate you are only five
parsecs
away from it.”

“Then there is something here,” Remar advised his centurions as he let his gaze sweep slowly over the room for possible hiding places.

Perhaps the creature was cloaked
, he thought to himself and twirled in the direction of the two pilot seats. For good measure he pat the empty spaces to ensure they were really vacant.

His gaze roamed the semi-darkened alien ship. Its dim blue lights provided little luminosity. The rafters had been pulled apart to reveal nothing but more metal and padding certainly no place for anything to hide. 

“Has anyone investigated those units?” he motioned towards a slight grouping of metal containers.

“No sir,” a centurion replied as he approached the items in question.

The units looked barely large enough to fit an adolescent Chezarians female, but Remar didn’t want any space left unexamined.

***

From inside the locker Dallas couldn’t believe how incredibly hulking the aliens were. Of the ones she could see she doubted any of them were smaller than six foot seven. She made the estimation based on the height of the lockers and her inability to see more than any of their lower chests, that was until one bent to frisk the command chairs.

Peculiar
.

She stared at the back of his head and the thickly plaited white braid swinging back and forth with his movements, like the tail of a restless tiger. She relaxed a bit at realizing they were humanoid in build. A much better image than the insectoid picture she’d conjured up. Dallas could easily see the alien’s light gray color which was visible through the leather vest like coverings each wore. She considered the tattooed muscled arm of the being and marveled at its sheer size.

What did he have to do to get them looking like that
, she couldn’t help but think.

The alien turned before stretching back to his full height and she caught a quick glimpse of his face.

Definitely not a large cockroach, but Dallas had to bite her bottom lip to stifle her surprised gasp.

Strong, fierce features were unlike any she’d ever seen on a human but she did recall seeing them somewhere.

Impossible!

They were dreams.

But there was no mistaking the deep set of ridges adorning the alien’s forehead. What was even more disturbing was the flash of lavender she saw in the pools of his eyes before he stood.

Maybe she was wrong. It was dark inside the cabin and she didn’t have the greatest view from the locker, not to mention hers wasn’t the best mental state to be in at the moment. It wasn’t every day a person was sucked through a wormhole and pulled onto an alien planet of giants. Her mind could be playing tricks on her.

She held her position listening to the sharp exchanges outside. At least it sounded harsh to her but what did she know? They could be casually discussing the weather or their commute into work. The language was deep and guttural sounding.

Like in her dreams.

Her heart hitched in her chest when their attention turned to the lockers.

She’d known it was only a matter of time before the aliens searched them after the mayhem they’d already served up looking through the rafters. Frankly, she was surprised when no one had bothered to look in them first. Dallas held her breath as someone began systematically opening one compartment after another. Her locker shook from the force being exerted on the other units. Each clang brought the seeker closer to discovering her.

It wouldn’t be long.

Then what?

Lines from her favorite vintage sci-fi movies came to mind.

I come in peace…live long and prosper
. Ultimately it didn’t matter what she said because they wouldn’t understand her anyway.

Her grip tightened on the metal rod.

She heard the unit next to hers being swung open. Its contents were shifted around non-too-gently by the examiner. But the noise stopped as abruptly as it began. The alien moved on and was in front of her locker.

Her discovery was inevitable.

Dallas counted down, five...four...three...

The door swung open and she noted the surprise etched on the alien’s severe face but even its stunned expression couldn’t diminish the intense appearance. She hadn’t imagined it. They really were rather intimidating looking and the ridges only seemed to accentuate the tough features. He didn’t look like the one she’d observed before, but then again she couldn’t be too certain.

The alien’s eyes drifted down to the metal rod she held in her hands and its expression quickly change.

He snarled.

It was a universal sound of displeasure, she didn’t care what planet you were from. Dallas raised the bar eye level and began to shake her head vigorously.

“I know this might look like a weapon, and maybe to a certain degree it is, but I really don’t intend to use it on you-”

The alien snarled even louder this time attracting the attention of some of its comrades.

Dallas realized it was pointless to try and explain. She wasn’t fluent in grunting.

“Let’s try this another way,” she said more to herself and attempted to step from the locker but the alien had other plans.

A large beefy hand reached inside and wrapped itself around her neck.

So much for being friendly.

His other hand attempted to snatch the metal rod from her but Dallas reacted a bit quicker dropping the metal down and just out of his reach before shoving the bulbous tip at his midsection. She didn’t expect the action to cause any real harm with the limited space available to her. But it did gain the desired result of having the alien loosen his hold around her neck. She didn’t wait for his reaction bringing her knee up to hit the same area the rod caught him. Instead she came in contact with something that seemed to startle them both. The alien’s lavender eyes widened seconds before he, yes definitely he, dropped to his knees.

Dallas finished him with a swift kick to the face which sent him falling backward. One of his companions jumped back from the tumbling bulk thereby clearing the way for her escape.

No sooner had her foot touched down on the floor she was pushing herself up and over the fallen alien’s body. She swirled on the others dismayed and yet a little glad to see two of the hulking forms jammed into the doorway like a bumbling pair of comedians. The struggling forms may be blocking her only exit but they kept the rest of the growing horde behind them out of the cabin.

Dallas held the rod in front of her in a defensive stance she’d learned from years of martial arts and twirled it expertly. The movement certainly caught the aliens’ attentions but only briefly. They spanned themselves in a flanking position.

Alright, if it’s a fight you want
… she let her thought trail off extending the metal rod and going into action. One alien advanced on her in a frontal assault to which she responded with a jab to his midsection followed by a hard swipe at his legs which knocked him off balance. The behemoth made a sound between a yelp and a growl before landing flat on his back. The ship rattled from the impact, but it didn’t stop Dallas who went on the offensive going for the next alien before he could attack.

They might be huge but she had the nimbleness of size on her side and she intended to use it. Dallas swung expertly at heads and legs. Twirling from delivering a blow that sent one alien tumbling into his comrades stuck in the doorway. She was poised to take out the next being but hesitated long enough to get a real look at the giant advancing on her. He was bigger than the others and she instantly recognized his menacing features. The determined look on his face made it clear he wouldn’t be as easy to take down.  He scowled at her and she was quite certain she heard him growl too. Through his squinting glare she could tell his eyes were the most peculiar shade of lavender. She tried to look away, to get her body back in motion but felt trapped by his gaze.

A yellow light flashed from the hand of the giant, hitting her squarely in the abdomen. She looked down expecting to see a hole directly into her internal organs where the blast hit. Surprisingly there was nothing.

Wait… there was pain.

Sharp, needling pain. An electrical aftermath took hold and seemed to travel through every nerve inside her. Her legs wobbled then gave up the fight completely and she felt herself falling limply to the floor.

For an infinitesimal moment time and space collided, everything around her stood still as her attacker hovered over her.

He
was
the man from her dreams.

Her lids fluttered closed and she was glad she wouldn’t be awake for the fatal shot.

She smiled.

Hers was a death legends could be born from.

***

“What is it?” one centurion asked from somewhere behind Remar. All eyes were fixated on the alien laying crumbled at the feet of their High Commander.

Remar stared down at the motionless creature unsure. It looked less threatening than it had leaping through the air and twirling the free bar rod. For good measure he kicked the weapon aside in case the alien was playing at being unconscious. He couldn’t tell if it were really knocked out or not with the metallic hood covering its face. At least he thought it was a hood.

Remar snorted at the use of such a contraption. A true warrior should want his opponent to look him in the eye on the field of combat. Obviously, this species differed not only in size but the honor of battle.

“Are there injuries?” he asked, looking around the room briefly. His men, who were victims of the initial attack, began righting themselves. Each muttering a shameful negative response.

Turning back to the object of interest Remar dropped to his haunches in front of the fallen creature for a closer examination of the smooth hood. Its attachments seemed simple enough and he made quick work of loosening the fastenings. The covering made a whooshing sound which gave him only momentary pause.

“Stand back,” he ordered his men and waited until he heard the shuffle of retreating feet before he proceeded.

He wasn’t sure what possessed him to take such care with removing the protective covering but he pulled it free with the barest of tugs. Remar gave the hood a quick examination before setting it down.

His gaze fell to the face of the unmoving creature and he had to steady himself for the unprepared sight of the alien. Its dark face was visible beneath a secondary hood made of a soft, unknown, pliable material and molded around the being’s head.

He recognized the face.

It had become the object of his obsession.

How was it possible? He squeezed his eyes shut briefly then opened them again both hoping and fearing what he would see.

Nothing changed.

It was the alien who mesmerized him from the
E’rth
images.

He let his gaze travel the length of the alien’s limp body, noting the gentle swell and dips of feminine curves. Remar’s hands shook slightly as he found access to the secondary hood at the base of her neck. Taking more care than he had the first time he pulled the clingy material over her head. His fingers brushed against the springy texture of hair revealed.

So soft. Just as he had imagined.

He dropped the forgotten material and allowed his fingers to linger in the cushiony mass. The texture was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was pulled loosely behind her but several errant strands had gained freedom. He resisted the urge to liberate the rest from its binding. Instead redirecting his attention to her oval shaped face, full lips looked soft in sleep, and her nose although broader than he had ever seen on a woman complimented her face. Her sable skin was smooth the touch as he traced a roughened hand over her cheek. His premonitions made sense now. However impossible it might be she had come to him.